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NI police car petrol-bombed

A police car with an officer inside was petrol-bombed outside the Belfast office of an Alliance MP in an attack by around 15 masked people. Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers will make an urgent statement to the Commons this afternoon.

Protest dwindles as Belfast police appeal for calm

PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Will Kerr appealed for calm as the Belfast protest over Union flag restrictions passed into the evening without major incident.

Earlier a driving school car was set alight in the east of the city and a policeman injured in a separate incident was taken to hospital. A 15-year-old youth and a 32-year-old man were arrested during the protest, police said.

Police in riot gear line the streets of Belfast during the flag protest. Credit: UTV

ACC Kerr said: "Those involved in the protest should reflect on their own responsibility for any associated disorder and violence. I am appealing for calm as the day progresses. There have been too many nights of disorder across Northern Ireland and now is the time to move forward."